Asante Samuel Interview

[Pujo]

He's HARDLY a 100% free agent when he's negotiating with other teams...IF he wishes to sign, there is a LARGE amount of compensation given to the Patriots HARDLY freee...AND if you had read further in what I said THE AREA you conveniently decided not to quote I said, "he's franchised..MORE in a gray area.."...AND THAT is what he is in a gray area!! So your 100% free agent is 100% WRONG!!!

I wasn't talking about negotiations at all, I was talking about the legitimacy of fining him while he's technically not under contract, and I stand behind what I said. Sorry if it sounded different to you.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

I wasn't talking about negotiations at all, I was talking about the legitimacy of fining him while he's technically not under contract, and I stand behind what I said. Sorry if it sounded different to you.

If he was as good as he thinks he is, some team would gladly hand over the 2 first rounders for him. To my knowledge, no team has even made an attempt to sign him.

 

[dryheat44]

He's HARDLY a 100% free agent when he's negotiating with other teams...IF he wishes to sign, there is a LARGE amount of compensation given to the Patriots HARDLY freee...AND if you had read further in what I said THE AREA you conveniently decided not to quote I said, "he's franchised..MORE in a gray area.."...AND THAT is what he is in a gray area!! So your 100% free agent is 100% WRONG!!!

What he is, is unemployed. Pure and simple. Until the franchise tender is signed or withdrawn, Asante's an unemployed laborer in a unionized workforce.

Everybody has the right not to work if one can afford to do so.

Now, given his apparent love of money and the lifestyle it affords him, there's no way he's going to forfeit over half of his salary for potentially two years in a row.

Alonzo Shavers appears to be a savvy agent, with a good head for proper negotiation. It is much more likely that Asante cashes in on free agency if he reports to camp and is starting a cornerback week one. If he appears to pick up from where he left off in Indianapolis, Belichick may well offer him an extension during the bye week. I think it unlikely he will franchise him again. The other option is staying away until week 10, without the benefit of practicing and playing in games, and hoping he can show the league that he's worth a mega-deal. Which will be hard to do if he can't win his job back. It's entirely possible that he doesn't get onto the field until week 12 and plays nickelback for the rest of the season.

Bottom line: Asante reports before the end of training camp.

 

[vyrago]

It's probably naive of me, but I found this shocking:

AS: Actually, they got it wrong. It says, "Get Rich To This." Gnarls Barkley came out with a song, "Get Rich To This." I take it to mean that whatever you're doing -- and it's not just about making money -- just get rich to this. You're doing your best. You're going all out. You want to succeed and do the best you're doing.

I believe even Saint Mike repeated the "Get Paid" fabrication. If you can't trust these people to get this easily checked detail right, what can you trust them to report accurately.

 

[makoute]

Gay had Owens 1-1 for much of the game and held his own - he got beaten a few times but I'd hardly call it "torched". Whether he can go from a decent cover guy to one who causes turnovers, though, is unlikely right now.

Well Owens is the only reason the Iggles where in the game for as long as they were, so I guess my memory is correct.

 

[patfanken]

Well Owens is the only reason the Iggles where in the game for as long as they were, so I guess my memory is correct.

Actually a good third of Owens' total yardage came on a play where Owens crossed the field underneath and caught a pass an ran a good deal. He was WIDE open. The reason he was wide open was becaude the Eagles ran an ILLEGAL pick play and got away with it. It wasn't Gay's fault. Owens played well, but a lot of the LEGEND of his play was more hype than reality. The Pats played poorly that game, had some HORRENDOUS calls go against them, and STILL were in control of the game the for most of the 2nd half. The eagles scorred a meaningless TD at the end of the game to make it close.

 

[BelichickFan]

Well Owens is the only reason the Iggles where in the game for as long as they were, so I guess my memory is correct.

Nah, Ken's point is good and Gay did a great job overall on Owens who made only a few plays. Torched was a very poor description - average is the worst word I would use to describe Gay's performance that day.

 

[makoute]

I guess I was watching a different Superbowl, TO is the only reason the game was respectable and Owens was lined up against Gay most of the game.

 

[dryheat44]

Nah, Ken's point is good and Gay did a great job overall on Owens who made only a few plays. Torched was a very poor description - average is the worst word I would use to describe Gay's performance that day.

And for an undrafted rookie free agent with less than 10 games starting experience locked up against who was regarded at the time as perhaps the best WR in the league, average is a very harsh grade.

I would say it was much closer to remarkable. Owens had his share of catches, but very few yards. 8 for 86 if you take out that one pick play. McNabb forced him the ball quite a bit, but it wasn't a case of bad coverage. He was usually tackled immediately, which is probably the way Belichick instructed Gay to play it.

 

[RobertWeathers]

What he is, is unemployed. Pure and simple. Until the franchise tender is signed or withdrawn, Asante's an unemployed laborer in a unionized workforce.

Everybody has the right not to work if one can afford to do so.

Now, given his apparent love of money and the lifestyle it affords him, there's no way he's going to forfeit over half of his salary for potentially two years in a row.

Alonzo Shavers appears to be a savvy agent, with a good head for proper negotiation. It is much more likely that Asante cashes in on free agency if he reports to camp and is starting a cornerback week one. If he appears to pick up from where he left off in Indianapolis, Belichick may well offer him an extension during the bye week. I think it unlikely he will franchise him again. The other option is staying away until week 10, without the benefit of practicing and playing in games, and hoping he can show the league that he's worth a mega-deal. Which will be hard to do if he can't win his job back. It's entirely possible that he doesn't get onto the field until week 12 and plays nickelback for the rest of the season.

Bottom line: Asante reports before the end of training camp.

Shavers is a fmr DB with Ohio St. and IMO does help him have a certain perspective of the player's side and feelings on this matter. His statements are pretty vanilla, but do show that he is a process-guy and has been advising Asante on all the causes & effects regarding his position during these negotiations. My gut does tell me that this standoff is all Asante. I don't exactly know what the Pats were offering (I've read that the $$ was mostly back-loaded) but if it's anywhere between Vasher and Bly money in terms of guaranteed dollars ($12m?), he really has miscalculated his worth.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

i mean what does it really all matter? He is not on the field with the guys and so as far as I am concerned we should focus on who is on the field. I have no problem with Asante, last year he kinda played sweet, esp. at the end of the year. But he is gonna do what he is gonna do.

If he is here, great, if not then move on already...remember when Law was leaving and we were all worried, then Asante came along and he played pretty well...after Asante there will be someone else so I understand him trying to cash in now.

Bottom line, BB & Co. will have his team prepared....

 

[sebman2112]

It's probably naive of me, but I found this shocking:

AS: Actually, they got it wrong. It says, "Get Rich To This." Gnarls Barkley came out with a song, "Get Rich To This." I take it to mean that whatever you're doing -- and it's not just about making money -- just get rich to this. You're doing your best. You're going all out. You want to succeed and do the best you're doing.

I believe even Saint Mike repeated the "Get Paid" fabrication. If you can't trust these people to get this easily checked detail right, what can you trust them to report accurately.

"Get rich to this" isn't even by Gnarls Barkley, it's by the Goodie Mob, which makes Samuel look kind of foolish.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I'm absolutely stunned that Asante does not have a Get Paid tatoo. Just chalk it up as one more thing in the "if you repeat it often enough" camp.

It's really shameful for this to have been reported so often, so loudly, and so ubiquitiously as fact without anyone bothering to check. Asante has done plenty to deserve a reputation for being greedy this off-season. I'm not denying that.

But it really sucks when something get repeated so often that it hardens opinions, and then the opinions are already so formed that it becomes irrelevant when the "fact" turns out to be false.

 

[PatsFan37]

And for an undrafted rookie free agent with less than 10 games starting experience locked up against who was regarded at the time as perhaps the best WR in the league, average is a very harsh grade.

I would say it was much closer to remarkable. Owens had his share of catches, but very few yards. 8 for 86 if you take out that one pick play. McNabb forced him the ball quite a bit, but it wasn't a case of bad coverage. He was usually tackled immediately, which is probably the way Belichick instructed Gay to play it.

That's exactly what my admittedly lousy memory is telling me. Gay kept Owens in front of him and played it safe, not going for the interception, defensing when he could and tackling otherwise. It was a ball-control defense intended to force a big-play Eagles offense into working their way down the field on a hot day. They were not as well-conditioned or well-coached as the Pats and that appeared to be Belichick's plan.

Given who he faced and what he allowed, I thought Gay did well in that game.

DH, you made a point earlier about BB possibly extending Samuel after the bye. He would have to wait until the end of the regular season to offer a multi-year contract.

 

[Fogbuster]

What else is he going to say?

He could say: "It's a team game, and I am where I am today because my TEAM won some Superbowls while I was a *member* of the team, so, like others on this club, I'm gonna re-structure my contract so it fits with the others and still gives me 6 to 8 million (guaranteed) a year for the next four years or so. I can live on that. There's only so much bling a guy needs. One car with spinners on the wheels is enough."

Something like that.



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[sebman2112]

I'm absolutely stunned that Asante does not have a Get Paid tatoo. Just chalk it up as one more thing in the "if you repeat it often enough" camp.

It's really shameful for this to have been reported so often, so loudly, and so ubiquitiously as fact without anyone bothering to check. Asante has done plenty to deserve a reputation for being greedy this off-season. I'm not denying that.

But it really sucks when something get repeated so often that it hardens opinions, and then the opinions are already so formed that it becomes irrelevant when the "fact" turns out to be false.

The tattoo he (according to Asante) actually does have isn't much different, and I'm a little iffy on the supposed meaning.

 

[Grizzafted]

I think he sits out. And I wish the best to him. I wish that we'd pay him, but he's not worth Clements money.

And he's f*cking tripping on mushrooms if he thinks he's as good as the best defensive player in the league.

 

[sebman2112]

I think he sits out. And I wish the best to him. I wish that we'd pay him, but he's not worth Clements money.

And he's f*cking tripping on mushrooms if he thinks he's as good as the best defensive player in the league.

Champ Bailey's the best Corner, but he's not the best Defensive player in the NFL. Samuel is nuts to say he's better than Bailey.

 

[Krazy Koz]

The tattoo he (according to Asante) actually does have isn't much different, and I'm a little iffy on the supposed meaning.

Also, Asante your tatoo, the you claim is from the song "Get Rich To This." Yeah, that was by the Goodie Mob, not Gnarlz Barkley. The guy from the Goodie Mob is in Gnarlz Barkley, but you'd think he'd get his facts straight before getting it permanently on his arm. What a tool.

Yeah, he's pretty stoopid!

 

[Fogbuster]

Champ Bailey's the best Corner, but he's not the best Defensive player in the NFL. Samuel is nuts to say he's better than Bailey.

Oh, but his precious agent tells him he is!! Where do these 25 year olds get all these fantasies and wild notions from?? The get this crap piped into their heads but the leeching, blood-sucking, fan and team-screwing agents. Satans.

Selfish individualism has led to Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Michael Vick. If agents are not brought under control soon, all pro sports will be like the NBA: "show time", eye candy only. Full of mental caries and zero redeeming value. The whole beauty of sports will be reduced to me-firstism, which truly sux.



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